Lord Darcy
by Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy (Collections and Selections — Omnibus 1-3 & Short Stories, Ed. 2)
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Description
Welcome to a world where the Plantagenet kings survived, the laws of magic were discovered and the physical sciences never pursued. In the resulting Anglo-French Empire, a detective like Lord Darcy needs more than a keen mind and an observant eye. Luckily, Darcy can call on the aid of Master Sean O'Lochlainn, forensic sorcerer. This omnibus contains all of the Lord Darcy stories as well as the only Lord Darcy novel, TOO MANY MAGICIANS, and has a new introduction by Michael Dirda.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
nessreader Both alternate histories with flamboyant detectives, aristocrats, murder and steampunk
SnootyBaronet Sleuthing and sorcery
Member Reviews
Alternate history, locked door mysteries, sorcery, lively and interesting characters; make these classics fun to read again, fifty years later.. The short stories easily compensate for the rather slow and drawn out novelette,
All stories of the renowned detective Darcy and his companion, Master Sorcerer Sean O Lochlainn. Set in an alternate 1960s universe where an Anglo-French Empire flourishes, magic is a science, and the Plantagenet dynasty rules, Darcy solves complex, magically involved murders in a detailed world.
Lord Darcy is the Duke of Normandy's Chief Investigator, a dashing and sharp-witted detective similar to Sherlock Holmes. Sean O Lochlainn serves as his forensic sorcerer assistant, analogous to Dr. Watson, using magic to perform forensic analysis.
The world is based on an alternate history where King Richard the Lionheart did not die in 1199, leading to a long-lasting, powerful Anglo-French empire. Magic, known as white magic, is regulated by show more the church and used for science.
Darcy investigates high-stakes murders, often involving political intrigue, dark sorcery, and rivalry with the Polish Empire. show less
Lord Darcy is the Duke of Normandy's Chief Investigator, a dashing and sharp-witted detective similar to Sherlock Holmes. Sean O Lochlainn serves as his forensic sorcerer assistant, analogous to Dr. Watson, using magic to perform forensic analysis.
The world is based on an alternate history where King Richard the Lionheart did not die in 1199, leading to a long-lasting, powerful Anglo-French empire. Magic, known as white magic, is regulated by show more the church and used for science.
Darcy investigates high-stakes murders, often involving political intrigue, dark sorcery, and rivalry with the Polish Empire. show less
Randall Garrett's classic fantasy detective makes for a fun read. Unlike many detective stories readers are given enough information that most of the time you have a chance of figuring out the answer from the clues. But the answer is never so obvious that anyone but a dedicated reader of mysteries will figure it out quickly--if at all.
For those who do figure out the answer on the first page, there is plenty of fun character interaction, a bit of political maneuvering and even a touch of romance to keep the story interesting.
Magic- and world building-geeks will appreciate the well thought out magic system and the pedagogal Master Seamus who loves to explain how and why magic works to anyone who asks. Since these explanations are often show more important to understanding the clues to the mystery, they don't slow down the narrative too much but your mileage may vary.
All-in-all a fun read for fans of fantasy and mystery. show less
For those who do figure out the answer on the first page, there is plenty of fun character interaction, a bit of political maneuvering and even a touch of romance to keep the story interesting.
Magic- and world building-geeks will appreciate the well thought out magic system and the pedagogal Master Seamus who loves to explain how and why magic works to anyone who asks. Since these explanations are often show more important to understanding the clues to the mystery, they don't slow down the narrative too much but your mileage may vary.
All-in-all a fun read for fans of fantasy and mystery. show less
Ein netter Fantasy-Krimi = 4 1/2 Sterne.
Zum fünften Stern reicht es leider nicht ganz. Dazu bleibt mir Lord Darcy zu blass und konturlos. Er ist intelligent und kann gut kombinieren - aber was noch?
Die Hauptfigur steht hier nicht im Mittelpunkt, schon mehr der gute Plot und die schön gestaltete Welt.
Zum fünften Stern reicht es leider nicht ganz. Dazu bleibt mir Lord Darcy zu blass und konturlos. Er ist intelligent und kann gut kombinieren - aber was noch?
Die Hauptfigur steht hier nicht im Mittelpunkt, schon mehr der gute Plot und die schön gestaltete Welt.
very readable alternative world fantasy with Lord Darcy as a detective and his forensic sorceror Sean O'Lochlainn. Quite enjoyable with almost a Sherlock Holmes feel to the period and the stories.
Wonderfully written alternative history, fantasy detective stories. Lord Darcy is one of the heirs of Holmes.
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Author Information
168+ Works 5,803 Members
Some Editions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Fantasy Masterworks (New design)
Work Relationships
Contains
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Lord Darcy
- Original title
- Lord Darcy
- Original publication date
- 2002-07 (omnibus) (omnibus)
- People/Characters
- Lord Darcy; Sean O'Lochlainn
- First words
- PREFACE
Randall Garrett’s Lord Darcy is, without doubt, one of the best known and most popular detectives in science fiction and fantasy.
Sir Pierre Morlaix, Chevalier of the Angevin Empire, Knight of the Golden Leopard, and secretary-in-private to my lord, the Count D’Evreux, pushed back the lace at his cuff for a glance at his wrist watch—three minutes of... (show all) seven. - Quotations
- “The mule,” he was fond of saying, “is as much smarter than a horse as a raven is smarter than a falcon. Neither a raven nor a mule will go charging into combat just because some human tells him to.”
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Hell with it, he thought. And knocked the dottle from his pipe.
- Blurbers
- Bradley, Marion Zimmer; Norton, Andre; Silverberg, Robert
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.08768
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the second edition. A first edition first printed in 1983 does not contain the short stories The Bitter End and The Spell of War so the two editions should not be combined.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Mystery
- DDC/MDS
- 813.08768 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Alternate history
- LCC
- PS3557 .A7238 .A6 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1961-
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 545
- Popularity
- 54,568
- Reviews
- 9
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- Czech, English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 3
